Plant Medicines
At Ananda Ashram, we offer a curated selection of plant medicines, each carefully chosen to facilitate a profound journey of healing, self-discovery, and surrender.
Our offerings are deeply rooted in ancient wisdom and practices, designed to harmonize body, mind, and spirit.
Ceremonial Cacao
Ceremonial cacao is a sacred and powerful heart-opening medicine used for centuries in spiritual and healing ceremonies. Originating from the ancient cultures of the Maya and Aztec, this pure form of chocolate serves as a tool for deep emotional release, connection, and transformation. Unlike commercial chocolate, ceremonial cacao is prepared with intention, preserving its high nutritional and energetic properties, including antioxidants, magnesium, and compounds that boost serotonin levels, enhancing mood and well-being.
Ingesting ceremonial cacao in a guided setting facilitates a journey inward, allowing participants to explore their inner landscapes, connect with their true selves, and often experience profound insights and clarity.
Embraced for its ability to increase blood flow and oxygenation to the brain, enhance focus, and foster creativity, ceremonial cacao is a gentle yet powerful catalyst for spiritual awakening, heart-centered connection, and personal growth.
Whether you seek healing, insight, or deeper connection with yourself and others, ceremonial cacao offers a nurturing path to explore these intentions in a sacred, loving environment.
Shamanic Snuff Hapé
Shamanic Snuff, also known as Hapé (pronounced 'ha-peh'), is a sacred tobacco blend used by indigenous tribes of the Amazon for ceremonial and medicinal purposes. This finely ground powder is made from a mixture of tobacco leaves and various Amazonian plants, herbs, and sometimes ash, known for their powerful healing properties. Administered through the nostrils using a special blowpipe called a 'Tepi' for others or 'Kuripe' for self-application, Hapé is revered for its ability to clear mental, physical, and spiritual blockages, thereby facilitating deep healing and cleansing.
The use of Hapé goes beyond physical detoxification; it is a spiritual practice aimed at re-aligning energy channels, grounding, and enhancing intuition. Participants often experience heightened awareness, profound introspection, and a deep sense of connection to the earth and the universe. In shamanic traditions, Hapé is used to prepare for other ceremonies, enhance meditation and prayer, and as a means to receive the profound wisdom of nature.
Embracing the tradition of Hapé in a respectful and mindful manner allows individuals to embark on a transformative journey, offering insights into the self, promoting emotional and physical well-being, and deepening spiritual connections.
Siquijor Oil
Siquijor oil, often referred to as "healing oil," is a traditional herbal remedy deeply rooted in the mystic island of Siquijor in the Philippines. Known for its rich history of healing and spiritual practices, Siquijor Island is home to healers, or "boloans," who have passed down the art of creating this potent oil through generations.
The oil is crafted from a blend of coconut oil and various local herbs, roots, and bark, each selected for their specific healing properties. The concoction is then enchanted with prayers and spells during a sacred ritual, usually under the light of a full moon, to enhance its potency.
Siquijor oil is celebrated for its wide range of uses, including the treatment of physical ailments such as wounds, sprains, and muscle pains, as well as spiritual concerns like warding off evil spirits and bringing good luck. Its application is often accompanied by rituals and prayers, adding to its mystique and perceived effectiveness.
In recent years, the allure of Siquijor oil has transcended local boundaries, drawing interest from holistic and alternative medicine enthusiasts worldwide. Its preparation, deeply entwined with the culture and traditions of Siquijor, makes it a unique testament to the island's enduring legacy of natural healing and spiritual practices.
Kambo
Kambo is a traditional healing ritual that uses the secretions of the Phyllomedusa bicolor frog, also known as the giant monkey frog, native to the Amazon rainforest. This practice, originating from various indigenous tribes in South America, involves applying the frog's venomous secretion onto small burns made on the skin. The introduction of the secretion into the body induces a rapid and intense physical reaction, including nausea, vomiting, and sometimes fever and fainting, which are considered part of the cleansing process.
Mushroom Medicine
Our Mushroom Medicine offers a profound journey into the depths of the psyche, utilizing the sacred and natural psychedelic properties of psilocybin mushrooms. This ancient practice, rooted in spiritual tradition, is designed to facilitate deep healing, expansive consciousness, and transformative insights.
Conducted in a safe, respectful, and supportive environment, our ceremony encourages participants to surrender to the experience, allowing for personal growth, emotional release, and a greater sense of connection to the universe. Guided by experienced facilitators, this ceremony is an opportunity to explore the mind, heal the spirit, and awaken to new perspectives and possibilities. Ideal for seekers of spiritual depth and healing, our Mushroom Medicine Ceremony is a doorway to profound self-discovery and enlightenment.Ingesting ceremonial cacao in a guided setting facilitates a journey inward, allowing participants to explore their inner landscapes, connect with their true selves, and often experience profound insights and clarity.
Ayahuasca
Ayahuasca is a traditional plant medicine from the Amazon, used by indigenous healers in countries like Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, and Brazil for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. It's made by combining two plants from the Amazon jungle: the ayahuasca vine (Banisteriopsis caapi) and the chacruna leaf (Psychotria viridis), which contains a powerful psychoactive compound called DMT. When brewed together, they create a drink that can lead to altered states of consciousness. The name "ayahuasca" comes from the Quechua language and means "vine of the soul" or "vine of the spirits." Different regions have their own names for it, such as oni, caapi, and yagé.
Traditionally, ayahuasca has been used for various purposes, including diagnosing and treating illnesses, shamanic communication, and communal activities like hunting, warfare, and rituals. Its exact origins are unknown, but archaeological evidence shows its use dates back at least 2,000 years. Over time, ayahuasca has become a core part of traditional medicine systems for more than 75 different cultures in the Amazon. Today, it is also used worldwide for healing, especially where modern medicine has not been effective.
Healing the Root Cause – Balancing the Emotional, Energetic, and Spiritual Aspects
Contrary to the "New Age" label, plant medicine healthcare has been practiced for thousands of years, long before Western medicine emerged in the last few centuries. While modern medicine excels at addressing the physical causes of illness, plant medicine, particularly ayahuasca, delves into the emotional, energetic, and spiritual roots of disease. It does this by opening channels of communication with our subconscious mind.From a shamanistic perspective, many illnesses and diseases stem from blockages or imbalances in a person's energy, often caused by trauma. Trauma can take many forms, from shock trauma due to abuse or loss to more common life events like surgery, accidents, illnesses, relationship issues, financial troubles, societal pressures, and even problems from birth that we may not be aware of.
Our Plant Medicines, used by trained and ethical healers in healing ceremonies, can help address and correct these energetic imbalances. This approach contrasts with Western medicine, which tends to focus on the physical body and outward symptoms of illness. By suppressing symptoms without addressing their root energetic causes, Western medicine can inadvertently hinder our natural healing process, ignoring or invalidating the underlying experiences and emotions.
As a result, the energetic body, which includes mental and emotional well-being, often receives insufficient attention.